Paul Weiss
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A partner in the Litigation Department, Beth A. Wilkinson focuses her practice on general litigation and has built a reputation as one of the country’s most talented and respected litigators. Beth has amassed a broad range of experience from the courtroom to the boardroom, with particular emphasis in white-collar criminal defense, internal investigations, product liability and complex civil litigation. She has defended Fortune 500 companies in some of the most business-critical litigations in recent memory.
Professional History:
Beth joined Paul, Weiss after serving as the executive vice-president, general counsel, and corporate secretary at Fannie Mae. Prior to her in-house position at the mortgage giant, Beth spent eight years as co-chair of the white-collar crime practice group in a major global law firm.
Prior to private practice, Beth was an assistant U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of New York, where she prosecuted numerous cases. In 1995, she was a counsel to the Deputy Attorney General, the principal deputy of the Terrorism and Violent Crime Section, when she was asked to be a special attorney to the U.S. attorney general in U.S. v. McVeigh & Nichols. Beth was instrumental in securing the final verdicts against the two men, delivering the closing arguments that resulted in a death sentence for McVeigh, and the summation that led to the conviction of Nichols. After prosecuting U.S. v. McVeigh & Nichols, she became the only two-time recipient of the Department of Justice's highest award.
Beth's legal career began in the U.S. Army, where she attained the rank of captain and served as an assistant to the general counsel of the Army for Intelligence & Special Operations from 1987 to 1991. In 1990, she was appointed as a special assistant U.S. attorney in the Southern District of Florida to assist with the prosecution of U.S. v. Manuel Noriega.
Recognition:
Beth's work has garnered her national recognition, and her opinions are sought by numerous television news programs and respected magazines and journals. Her insights have been sought by any number of high-profile television programs, such as NBC's TODAY show, Nightline, The News Hour with Jim Lehrer, Face the Nation and Good Morning America, and a variety of magazines and journals including The National Law Journal, The American Lawyer and the Legal Times. Beth has been recognized by The Legal 500 as a Leading Trial Lawyer and a Leading Antitrust Lawyer, and by her peers for The Best Lawyers in America in White Collar Criminal Defense. She is also ranked in Chambers USA 2014 for General Commercial Litigation and White-Collar Crime & Government Investigations, where Beth is noted for being "a very dedicated, very thoughtful, first-rate trial attorney." She is also recognized by Chambers USA as a leading, nationwide trial lawyer, and is described as "one of the great trial lawyers in America today." Beth was featured as one of the top 10 female litigators in the United States in Benchmark Litigation's 2014 "Top 250 Women in Litigation." She was also named a National Litigation Star for Antitrust and White-Collar Crime as well as a Local Litigation Star for Washington, D.C. in 2013 and 2014. In 2010, she was named as one of The National Law Journal's "Winning" litigators and as one of "Washington's Most Influential Women Lawyers" by the same publication.
Pro Bono:
Beth is active in a variety of pro bono and community activities as a member of the board of directors of Equal Justice Works. She has been particularly active in the death penalty reform movement, serving as the co-chairman of the Constitution Project's Death Penalty Initiative. Beth has testified before both the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate on death penalty issues and speaks frequently to groups around the country about her work on the McVeigh trial and issues surrounding the imposition of the death penalty.
See Library Tab for articles, publications and presentations by Beth Wilkinson
Sep 25, 2015 | News
California Court Dismisses Antitrust Claims Against Microsoft
Aug 04, 2015 | News
Beth Wilkinson Quoted on Microsoft’s Law Firm Diversity Program
Jun 11, 2015 | News
Apr 17, 2015 | News
Aug 04, 2014 | Videos
Jul 08, 2014 | News
Pfizer Wins Dismissal of Shareholder Class Action Suit
Jun 24, 2014 | News
Partnership with the Women in Law Empowerment Forum (WILEF)
May 07, 2014 | Publications
Blue-Ribbon Panel Proposes Sweeping Reforms of Capital Punishment
May 02, 2014 | News
Paul, Weiss Achieves Trial Victory for Michael G. Rubin and Kynetic
Apr 22, 2013 | News
Jeh Johnson and Beth Wilkinson Discuss Legal Issues In Boston Bombing
Jun 04, 2012 | News
Activision Blizzard Settles Lawsuit
May 01, 2012 | News
FTC Hires Beth Wilkinson To Lead Google Antitrust Investigation
Mar 06, 2012 | News
Paul, Weiss Wins Fourth Jury Trial in Pfizer Drug Liability Cases
Nov 08, 2011 | News
Paul, Weiss Wins Third Jury Trial in Pfizer Drug Liability Cases
Oct 26, 2011 | News
Philip Morris USA Secures Mistrial in Lights Class Action
Dec 22, 2015
The American Lawyer Recognizes Beth Wilkinson as “Litigator of the Year”
Nov 10, 2015
Five Paul, Weiss Partners Win Law360 MVP Awards
Nov 02, 2015
Beth Wilkinson Named “Winning Litigator” by The National Law Journal
Sep 15, 2015
Beth Wilkinson Profiled in Law360 as 2015 Trial Ace
Jul 20, 2015
Beth Wilkinson Named Top Female Litigator by Benchmark
May 22, 2015
Beth Wilkinson Named Chambers USA “Business Trial Lawyer of the Year”
May 04, 2015
Beth Wilkinson Named Outstanding Woman Lawyer by The National Law Journal
Dec 22, 2014
Beth Wilkinson Named a “Litigation Trailblazer” by The National Law Journal
Aug 07, 2014
Jun 07, 2013
Chambers USA 2013
Ranks Paul, Weiss Highly
Oct 25, 2012
Michele Hirshman and Beth Wilkinson Named to Benchmark's "Top 250 Women in Litigation"
Jul 18, 2012
Beth Wilkinson Named One of National Journal's Most Influential Women